Find Your Niche

found on pinterest via marcia westRecently I wrote about the Power of Niche and made the argument that appealing to a smaller but clearly defined market is makes marketing your business much easier. But what if you don’t know who your niche market is?

Here are five steps to finding your own niche market.

Do what you do best

Start with the easiest thing first. What is it you do best? Pick one thing and specialize in it. You don’t need to pick one product, but you do need to focus. If you knit, you might choose to make scarves and cowls, not scarves, cowls, sweaters, hats, mittens, and booties. If you’re a seamstress and you love making pantsuits, do it! Make 5 different versions in different colors and fabrics, but rock the pantsuit.

It’s much easier to be known for making one kick-ass, stand out thing and offering a few variations than doing a little of everything.

Be who you already are

What is the talent or skill that you’ve chosen to build your business around? If you’re any good at what you do you’ve most likely developed a style, approach or perspective that is all your own. Maybe you’re a master crocheter who does amazing lace work, but you just can’t abide by the standard white and off-white of lace. Rock a bright, bold palette of purple, red, green and blue instead.

Doing something unexpected or with a little twist is the easiest way to be remembered. So follow your gut and let your freak flag fly.

Solve a problem

Every time you wear those flowy, but fitted pants you made do people always ask where you got them? Do you often hear your friends say if only I could find... Make it happen. Chances are more people are out there looking for that same solution and you know just how to solve it.

Design the perfect stylish, but useful messenger bag for the young career woman who rides a bike, I know I’m still looking for one.

Don’t try to be something you’re not

Or sell to someone you don’t understand. Just because feathers are all the rage right now doesn’t mean you need to use them. And even though everyone on Etsy seems to be selling to ironic, young hipsters, you don’t have to.

By sticking to what you know and like and a market you understand you can communicate in a more authentic way and give your customers what they really want.

Be aware of who’s already buying

Take note if you suddenly see a surge in purchases from the mid-west. It might mean you got coverage in a popular local blog, but it also might mean you’ve tapped into a group of young girls dreaming of a California lifestyle and your breezy beach inspired glass and shell necklaces make them feel one step closer.

Tap into what’s already working to define your niche even further and give them exactly what they love.

Who is this person?

Now that you’ve taken the time to really define and narrow your offering ask yourself who is the person that wants this and why. There’s your niche market. Do they love your brightly colored dollies because they have a thing for grandmas and all things turquoise? Or do they own one of each of your pantsuits because they are a lazy fashionista?

The more you know about why your customers buy your product the easier it will be to more people who need exactly what you’re selling.

How do you describe your niche market?

The Power of Niche

found on pinterestWe talk a lot about target market, being able to define who they are, how to connect with them, and where to find them. It’s one of the most important parts of creating a successful business. But I want to plead my case a little further to make sure you understand why.

First if you’ve never read “1,000 True Fans” by Kevin Kelly do so. You might also want to read a recent post I wrote for the SF Etsy blog talking about how his premise applies to a business model. These might give you a few things to think about over the holiday weekend.

Our Premise

We believe that a small, independent business can’t and shouldn’t appeal to the masses. Too much effort and not enough pay off. You most likely don’t have the manpower or the budget to do so and unless you are in a position to be an iconic brand it also tends to mean that your popularity fades quickly if you receive any at all.

The general market place is crowded; there are numerous choices for anything you choose to spend your money one. So to stand out in this overly crowded marketplace you need to be different and quirky.

Why Different Matters

You survive and flourish by finding the people who get what you do and why you do it. When you talk directly to your customer’s problems and needs they hear you loud and clear. When you give them exactly what they’re looking for and solve their specific pain, they support you in any way possible.

You don’t water down your message by appealing to as many people as possible. Instead you embrace that your ideal customer is a cutting edge fashionista, always looking to stand out, addicted to vintage, and with very little disposable income (that means every piece counts, not that she’s cheap).

When you know who your true fan is then you can confidently talk about the little details knowing they’ll “get it” and really care. You can geek out over the history of a piece of fabric you’re using, you can list the designers that inspire you without needing to explain who they are, and you’ll make sure to tell her how versatile the piece is because you know that’s her first thought.

If you can make your customers feel like you’re talking directly to them, like you made each piece with them in mind (in a way you did), they’ll not only keep coming back they’ll tell others like them exactly why you’re the greatest at what you do.

Now doesn’t that sound like a better way to go about your business?

What niche market have you discovered you appeal to?

Build Your Business One Customer At A Time

Source: 500px.com via Alisha on Pinterest

One customer at a time sounds like the slow painful way to build a business doesn’t it? But trust me when I say it's the only way to build a small business with staying power.

If you start out by trying to appeal to the masses and attract as many customers as you can, you might have a nice little flow of business at first because you’re the new kid on the block. But then the newness wears off and the next shiny object distracts your “customers” because they weren’t really your customers to begin with, they were only checking you out. And they didn’t become loyal fans because you were too generic. Lots of effort for only a little payoff and nothing that's consistent.

The solution... focus on gaining one ideal customer at a time.

First you need to distinguish who this ideal customer is. Who is that dream customer or client who loves everything you do, who truly gets what your business is about? Go ahead; write down the description, I’ll wait.

Now that you know who you’re talking to you need to find ways to connect with them directly. This way you’re building loyal fans who really need and want what you do. You will build a business based on serving a niche market that you understand, not by trying to second-guess the general public.

Sound daunting? It’s not really. Actually it’s easier than appealing to the undiscerning masses. Think of it this way, you have certain friends that are totally book nerds and others that only pay attention to moving images. You can’t talk to the moving images friends about the last great book you read, their eyes will glaze over, but you can spend hours discussing the new fall TV lineup and make bets on which show will get cancelled first. 

If you know who you’re talking to the conversation becomes much easier. You know what things they’re interested in, where they find their information, and what really catches their attention.

Now work on catching their attention, one (or maybe two or three) at a time. Every day. Put in the effort and you will build your loyal fan base that will join in the effort of spreading the word. Why? Because you get them and give them exactly what they need.

How do you connect? You share information they want, give advice that's useful and hang out where they do, both online and in the real world. Find out what this ideal customer is talking about and join the conversation. Write a blog post for their favorite blog that gives them a piece of information they can really use. Be at the events they go to, either selling your wares or just making friends. They'll see you as a friend and resource, not as a business trying to sell to them.

What's your favorite way to connect with new or potential clients?

SEO For Artists - Part 1

Photo by GenevieveThis is the start of a little series I’m going to call SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for Artists. I’m going to break it down into the simplest pieces I can, only tell you the information you need to know to get started, and use examples to make it all more tangible.

This series is for those of you who have only just heard of the term SEO, either here or in passing conversation, but really have no idea what I’m talking about or why you should care.

There’s a lot of mystery surrounding SEO. That mystery comes from three places, Google won’t tell us how the algorithm they use works exactly, SEO works over time there are no immediate results, and the people who are good at it have a unique set of skills that allows them to charge 1,000s of dollars a month.

What I intend to do is give you a few simple steps that can help you give your website or blog a big boost in being found by the right people, which in turn means more traffic. You will need to be patient because it won’t happen overnight, but if you’re able to keep in mind a few simple things, you will see results.

Today's lesson - target market and keywords, the building blocks of SEO. First let me take a step back and explain search engine optimization. More or less exactly what it sounds like, SEO is optimizing your blog or website so that search engines will find you easily when a search is performed. The better your site is optimized the higher up or closer to number 1 in the search you appear and the more likely someone will be to click the link to your page.

Target Market

Here comes that target market thing again. For you to optimize your blog or website you need to define who you want to reach and what they’re searching for. The more you can narrow the focus of your blog and who will be interested the better your chances of rising to the top.

For example you might be a knitter and have built a business selling your designs. That’s lovely, but there’s a lot of knit designers out there making amazing stuff. You howeve, being a savvy entreprenuer, have a niche. Besides selling the final knitted product you also sell patterns and your patterns create a finished product that looks very intricate, but is extremely easy. On your blog you not only talk about your designs, you offer tips on knitting while commuting or ways to squeeze in bursts of productivity throughout your day. You have a highly focused target market.

Start Thinking About Keywords

Keywords are the specific words that someone would use in a search if they were looking for the information on your website. In the example above the obvious keywords would be knitting and patterns. But as you well know, you put those two words into Google and you’ll get pages upon pages of results. The chances of you standing out are slim. But... you have a more defined target market so you can stand out if you use the right words.

Here’s a quick aside to give you a little insight into how people search. This is a generalization, but it will help you think through the process a little better. When someone performs a search it’s because they have an interest. They tend to type in 2-3 words that first come to mind to describe their interest. They find a few interesting links that either a) give them a new phrase to search for or b) make them add on words to refine their search. When they start their search they get a lot of information they don’t want, but by following a few links they eventually find the wording that will lead them to the link they want.

What might those words be? This is the trick to keywords. You add quick, simple, or easy to the search above but you still come up with a lot of competitors. So think about your target market, what words would they use? Maybe they would add modern to simple knitting patterns. You’re getting closer, but still the competition is tough, what now?

Next week I’m going to talk about a few tools to help you narrow down the keywords you want to optimize for, but you have to have a starting point to begin that research. So try to think like your target market, what words would they use to search for you or your competitors? Make a list of single words and phrases to use in your research next week.

We often describe our businesses differently than others, what words do you commonly use in talking about your business? Do those match up with what others say?